Pixelated Playgrounds

Things are heating up over at Pixelated Playgrounds HQ, but that just because Bryan and Josh have been playing firefighting / cat saving platformer, Nuclear Blaze! Created by Sébastien Bénard, one of the developers behind the excellent Dead Cells, Nuclear Blaze was originally designed for Bénard’s child as he noticed a striking lack of firefighter focused video games. Bénard and his studio Deepnight games, took on the mission of creating a game that his child could play, creating Nuclear Blaze with a built in ‘Kids Mode’ as well as a more difficult ‘Hold my Beer’ mode for players seeking a greater challenge. Sporting some eye-popping pixel art and a novel fire spreading mechanic, Nuclear blaze is a short and sweet platformer with a lot to admire. So grab your hose and helmet and skydive into the depths of Nuclear Blaze with Josh and Bryan.

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - He’s on Fiiiiirreee

Josh - Fun Fiery Explosion

After a development cycle spanning almost a decade, Unicorn Overlord released in March of 2024 to the joy of Ogre Battle fans everywhere! Two of those fans, namely Bryan and Josh, picked up the game and dug right in. With Vanillaware’s signature art and polish on full display Unicorn Overlord makes a stunning first impression and backs it up with an incredibly deep and complex battle system which is fitting for the titles which inspired it. It has been over 25 years since Ogre Battle 64 released for the Nintendo 64, and while Unicorn Overlord does not reach the narrative heights of Ogre Battle or Tactics Ogre, it certainly has enough going for it that folks craving a real time tactical RPG will have plenty to sink their teeth into. So pour yourself a mug of ale and sit down beside the fire with Bryan and Josh as they discuss their experience leading a revolution in Unicorn Overlord!

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Tinkering Against Tyranny

Josh - Somehow Too Much

In this episode Josh and Bryan go down a rabbit hole with 2024 indie hit, Animal Well. What starts off as a non-violent, platforming based metroidvania game, quickly gives way to a truly mysterious and intricately puzzle-driven experience. As the first solo endeavor from developer, Billy Basso, as well as the first title for game game’s publisher, Big Mode, Animal Well is a triumph critically, commercially, and perhaps most importantly, in terms of sheer novelty and design polish. So grab your bubble wand and hop on over to listen to Bryan and Josh puzzle over the incomparable Animal Well!

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Magnificent Mystifying Menagerie

Josh - Play and Discovery

Before 2020, Square Enix had been dancing around the question of how to do justice to a Final Fantasy 7 remaster for over a decade, and with the release of Final Fantasy Remake they finally answered that question. Using a state of the art combat system, a faithful re-interpretation of the source material (with some twists!), and a stunning meta-commentary on what it means to re-make a game, Final Fantasy 7: Remake was a stunning experience that both Clint and Bryan loved. Four years later, with the release of its sequel, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, they sat down to record a podcast on their experience with the two recent Final Fantasy 7 games, with a focus on Rebirth and its impeccable road trip vibes.

The amount of additional context and pathos Square were able to bring to the first disc of the original Final Fantasy 7 alone was enough to excite Bryan and Clint for Rebirth, but they could not have imagined the sheer scale that would be on display with Rebirth’s portion of the story. Overall these two games have Bryan and Clint eagerly anticipating the continuation of this endeavor. So get on your chocobo and ride along with Bryan and Clint as they talk through FInal Fantasy 7 Rebirth!

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Dream Road Trip

Clint - Not Just Nostalgia

Bryan and Josh recently spent some time managing a series of settlements in rogue-like city builder and prophecy-defier, DotAGE. Long time project of solo game developer, Michele Pirovano, DotAGE is wonderful little management sim with bright cheerful pixel art, sharp entertaining writing, and a level of ease and polish that you do not often see in the worker placement genre of games. What really sets the game apart though is the game’s prophecy and apocalypse mechanics, which sets up a series of compelling problems for your fledgling settlement to grapple with. So grab yourself a roast chicken and settle in for a conversation about the hope and despair that Josh and Bryan experienced as they tested their fate playing DotAGE!

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Pixels, Prophecy, Personality

Josh - No Golden Path

Links:

Josh’s interview with Michele Pirovano

Bryan and Josh continue their race down memory lane for the Sonic series with a look at Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2! Both of the guys have a long history with these titles and were excited to take a look back at the character’s origins. While the original Sonic the Hedgehog was certainly an impressive debut for the Sega mascot, it did not have quite as much of the series’ signature speed as one might expect. Meanwhile Sonic the Hedgehog 2, refined and solidified what would become the standard-bearer for the ‘momentum platformer’. So lace up your red kicks and join us in ‘Nostalgia Nights Zone’ for this discussion of Sonics first two titles.

Three Word Reviews:

Sonic the Hedgehog:

Bryan - Gotta Learn Patience

Josh - Solid First Steps

Sonic the Hedgehog 2:

Bryan - Hot-dogs and Happiness

Josh - One to Remember

Its time for another Casino Cast with Josh and Bryan! Last time we tackled dice (Dicey Dungeons) and slots (Luck be a Landlord), so this time around we are tackling cards with recent world-beating indie success, Balatro, and more dice with the extremely compelling roguelike, Slice & Dice. Balatro is a game that at this point needs no introduction: The run based score-beating roguelike using the language of poker has captured the hearts and minds of critics and players of all stripes due to its extremely compelling mechanical twists and accessible presentation. Slice & Dice, on the other hand, takes cues from party based roguelikes but represents each of your ‘heroes’ as one 6 sided die. The complexity the game layers in from that simple premise is remarkable, but what truly captured Bryan’s admiration is the game’s stellar iOS port. Great games come in many shapes and sizes, but not every game can claim to be great on such a wide variety of form factors.

The casino continues to be a rich vein for roguelikes to experiment with, so pull up to the table and put on your poker face as Josh and Bryan engage in some table talk on these two great games!

Three Word Reviews:

Balatro: Bryan - Hedge Your Bets, Josh - Bait, No Hook

Slice & Dice: Bryan - New Mobile Standby, Josh - Fully Loaded Dice

Bryan and Josh recently got stuck in a time loop out in deep space and wound up playing a lot of cards trying to fight their way out… in other words: For this episode they played Cobalt Core! Even in a crowded genre like the roguelike deckbuilder, sometimes a game can do so many things right (and a few things transcendently) that it breaks through the noise to become a new favorite. Rocket Rat’s second game (and second IGF nominee) was such a game. What it brings to the table in terms of novel mechanics and quick satisfying gameplay loops, is supported in spades by some truly outstanding music by composer Aaron Cherof and charming writing by the team. So buckle in and get ready for another loop with Bryan and Josh as they discuss the intergalactic hi-jinks of Cobalt Core!

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Mid-row and Music

Josh - Deep Space Decks

In this podcast the whole crew squads up to play the latest and greatest in Co-Op PVE action, Helldivers 2! As soon as word of the game’s rock solid mechanics and exceedingly fair live service implementation reached his ears, Clint boarded his Hellpod and shot like a literal bullet into the fray. His enthusiasm eventually spread to Bryan and Josh, and the team welcomed back seasoned Helldiver and re-appearing guest, Andy, to round out our 4 person discussion. This game has a fascinating evolving storyline… both in the game and in real life, so keep in mind we had this discussion around mid-April if recent events are not referenced. Now grab your standard issue Super Earth Listening Aparatus and strap in for Helldive into this discussion of the mechanics, theming, and co-op goodness that make Helldivers 2 an experience to remember!

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Solidarity Supersedes Sweatiness

Josh - Pressure, Pacing, Direction

Clint - Democratize with Friends

Andy - Helldivers Never Die

In this episode, Bryan and Josh dip their toes into the idle/incremental game space! Three idle games have been chosen: Universal Paperclips, SPACEPLAN, and (the) Gnorp Apologue. All are quite different manifestations of the idle/incremental game and each has its own strengths and unique offerings to explore. Universal Paperclips (2017) was created by Frank Lantz of New York University and has been acclaimed as one of the best of the genre. It features a unique retelling of the paperclip maximizer thought experiment. SPACEPLAN (2017) was developed by Jake Hollands and published by Devolver Digital and features striking visuals and a relaxing synth-heavy soundtrack. Finally, (the) Gnorp Apologue (2023) is the game that spurred the conversation on idle games to begin with and as its description states: “is a game where you help small beings called gnorps get rich”. Its also quite visually interesting any layers in some unique ‘management game’ style mechanics. So listen in while Bryan goes to make some dinner and Josh stares with wrapped attention at his computer screen and they jointly put together their thoughts on this varied and interesting genre.

Three Word Reviews:

Universal Paperclips: Bryan - Existential Thought Experiment / Josh - An Argument Against

SPACEPLAN: Bryan - Perfect Entry Point / Josh - Waiting for Story

(the) Gnorp Apologue: Bryan - Prestige Incremental Management / Josh - Spectacle, Strategy, Screensaver